Everton have reportedly agreed a season-long loan deal with Lyon for defensive midfielder Orel Mangala.
The Belgium international, 26, joined Lyon from Nottingham Forest on loan in February before making the move permanent earlier this summer for a fee in the region of £30million. He had made 12 appearances across all formats in the second half of last season for Lyon, netting two goals.
The 26-year-old has failed to convince thoroughly and the impending arrival of USA international Tanner Tessmann threatens his place in the side. Thus, the French side have facilitated an exit for Mangala, who returns to the Premier League after seven months. He becomes Everton’s seventh signing of the summer transfer window following the signings of Tim Iroegbunam, Iliman Ndiaye, Jack Harrison, Jesper Lindstrom, Jake O’Brien and Asmir Begovic.
Everton have endured poor start to the new season
Everton are in desperate need of reinforcements, particularly in defence and midfield, after their poor performances in the opening two Premier League games of the season. They were beaten 3-0 at home by Brighton before being smashed 4-0 by Tottenham Hotspur away.
Pressure is already on Sean Dyche, who masterminded the Toffees’ safety mission despite the club being docked points for breaching Premier League financial rules. And it with Dyche starring at a relegation battle once again, it is understandable why the Merseyside outfit have brought in Orel Mangala.
A defensive midfielder by trade, Mangala would look to fill the void left by Amadou Onana in Dyche’s starting XI. He works extremely hard off the ball, is a tenacious tackler and a decent passer, which could complement Idrissa Gueye and Abdoulaye Doucoure in Everton’s engine room. The 26-year-old has previous Premier League experience with Nottingham Forest, so he’d ideally be looking to make an immediate impact to the Toffees and making them tick as a unit.
Mangala could become the midfield general for Everton following Onana’s departure to Aston Villa. All in all, the Belgian’s capture is a smart one for the Toffees.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
